Issue date
As well as being an important annual fixture for the OK class, this year's 'Monkey was also the final event in the qualifying series for NZ sailors hoping to claim one of the spots available for the 2014 OK Dinghy Worlds, being sailed at Black Rock in Melbourne at the end of this year.
With NZ allocated 16 spots, and Mike Wilde, Alistair Deaves and Germany-based Greg Wilcox being entitled to automatic entry due to being OKDIA officers and, in Wilcox’ case, a former World OK Champion, that means there will be 19 Kiwis sailing in Melbourne in total. In addition, Eric Rone will be sailing for the USA.
The first 50% of the spots are decided at the nationals, with the second 50% being decided on the basis of points earned over the entire qualifying series. Also, with 24 entries in this year’s nationals, the top 8 also earned official NZ representative status for the 2014 Worlds (the criteria for NZ rep status being to finish in the first 33% of the fleet in the last Nationals before the relevant Worlds). Sound complicated? It is, and needs to be simplified.
Anyway, with the 2014 Worlds qualifying series finally over, the full 19 NZ OK sailors to compete in Melbourne have been decided and are, in order of qualifying, as follows:
Official NZ Reps
1. Luke O’Connell
2. Ben Morrison
3. Matt Stechmann
4. Russell Wood
5. Steve McDowell
6. Paul Rhodes
7. Brad Douglas
8. Mike Wilde
NZ Qualifiers
9. Joe Porebski
10. Jono Clough
11. Rod Davis
12. Rob Hengst
13. Nigel Mannering
14. Chris Fenwick
15. Miles Addy
16. Adrian Coulthard
17. Dan Bush
Automatic Entry
18. Greg Wilcox (former World Champion)
19. Alistair Deaves (Chairman of OKDIA Technical Committee)
20. Mike Wilde (also qualified for NZ Rep status per above)
Reserves
21. Adrian Mannering
22. Sefton Powrie
23. Mark Perrow
24. Jim Turner
We wish our team all the best as they prepare to do battle with the rest of the world at the end of the year.
